Inspections

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT INSPECTIONS

Officials from the state board that oversees salons and beauticians stopped in Costa Mesa on Monday to announce a weekend sweep for license violations in Orange County netted more than $50,000. The California Department of Consumer Affairs’ Board of Barbering and Cosmetology conducted unannounced inspections of more than a dozen barber shops, nail and hair salons in Santa Ana Saturday and found more than 100 violations of businesses and people practicing without a license, officials from Paul Mitchell The School in Costa Mesa said.

A cement truck rolled over this morning at Pelican Hill Road and Newport Coast Drive, the fifth such accident in the area since July 2004. The truck was heading south on Newport Coast Drive and rolled over at 9:57 a.m. during a right turn onto Pelican Hill Road North, Newport Beach Fire Department spokeswoman Jennifer Schulz said. The driver and passenger in a pickup truck on Newport Coast Drive narrowly escaped injury by pulling forward at the last minute, Schulz said. According to Newport Beach Fire Capt.

Young sailors could get their sea legs this summer on Kelpie if an inspection shows the ship is up to U.S. Coast Guard standards. Newport Sea Base officials have been searching for a ship to replace Argus, the 101-year-old topsail ketch that's been used for Boy Scout sail training for 35 years but needs a major overhaul. Sea base executive director Charlie Abbott helped deliver the boat last week from San Diego to Long Beach, where it is now being inspected by the Coast Guard.

Orange County's Great Park balloon has been grounded for inspection after a giant balloon in Hong Kong made by the same manufacturer sprang a leak and dropped from the sky last week, injuring five people. Great Park officials shut down the ride for an immediate inspection Friday after learning about the Hong Kong incident, said Great Park spokesman Marcus Ginnaty. Crews didn't discover any issues with the balloon, but Ginnaty said it will remain grounded until inspectors sent by the manufacturer - Paris-based Aerophile - arrive in Irvine to conduct their own investigation.

NEWPORT BEACH (KTLA) - A so-called “King Tide” is being blamed for flooding in several coastal communities in Orange County on Thursday, according to KTLA . The National Weather Service is forecasting high tides along with rip currents for local beaches and all along the West Coast. The alignment of the earth, moon and sun is giving the seas an extra gravitational kick onto the shore, which can cause flooding in low-lying areas. Early morning flooding was reported in Sunset Beach, Huntington Harbor and Newport Beach.

Two women who claimed to have fallen about 11 stories while inside a malfunctioning elevator in Irvine have settled a lawsuit against the elevator manufacturer and the Irvine Co. Janet Hsu and her mother, Sufeir Hsu, reached a confidential settlement with ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corp. and the Newport Beach-based Irvine Co. last month, according to court records. According to their claim, filed June 22, 2011, the two were aboard an elevator inside the Irvine Co.-owned high-rise business complex at 1 Park Plaza.

Andrew Glazer COSTA MESA -- The City Council committed to boosting code enforcement with additional staff Monday when it unanimously approved a $86.7-million budget for 2000-01. "I think it's the very best thing that could happen to us," said Janice Davidson, co-founder of the Westside Improvement Assn., a grass-roots neighborhood group that has pushed for increased code enforcement. The new budget, discussed at several community meetings last week, does not include many changes from last year's budget.

Jennifer Kho COSTA MESA -- The Piecemakers Country Store and the Orange County Health Care Agency are at a temporary stalemate this week, both poised to strike at each other during upcoming court hearings. The Piecemakers' store is scheduled to be taken off probation Monday for past health code violations, but the store management's refusal to allow an inspection at a craft fair Saturday might result in a health department challenge at the probation hearing.

ON THE AGENDA Here are some items the Newport Beach City Council will consider tonight. TREE POLICY REVIEW An ad hoc committee has recommended changes to the tree trimming and replacement policy as a condition of a lawsuit settlement with the Balboa Arbor Society over ficus trees. The changes are expected to make it cheaper for residents to have a tree replaced because smaller trees will be allowed. The revisions will also streamline the process of getting a tree removed and replaced.

With seven members facing arraignment, Piecemakers vow to resist health agency's enforcement efforts.It was business as usual at the Piecemakers Country Store in Costa Mesa Monday, despite a county health agency's order to stop serving prepared food. Members of the Piecemakers, a Christian religious sect that operates a craft business and tea room, could face fines and jail time if they do not comply with the Orange County Health Care Agency's order to cease all unapproved food preparation and food service.